The single most important thing you can do to keep your grinding wheels running cool, calm and collected is to dress them frequently. Dressing the stone removes any glaze that causes friction; levels the surface so that the entire wheel gets used; and most importantly, exposes fresh, sharp grain that cuts the metal, rather than rubbing it and causing it to heat up. Frequent dressing is recommended for all wheels - old style wheels and high-tech 3X wheels alike. There are four kinds of dressing wheels available nowadays. The first kind is an iron star dresser that has rotating steel fingers that do the dressing. I used one for years. The problem with them is that they don’t work that well with harder stones, and they produce uneven results. Another kind is a square stick of Silicon Carbide. It’s the least expensive way of dressing, but it’s not as accurate or clean-cutting as a diamond. A third kind is a single point diamond dresser, which is used in the machine tool industry to shape grinding wheels precisely. Finally, there’s the multi-point diamond dresser.

Multi-point wheel dressers come in a range of grits and coarseness. This dresser is just right for producing a fine finish on our 3X Stones, although in general it leaves a good finish on most wheels. Because it has multiple diamonds, the dresser will leave an even, straight finish when you draw it across the stone. This particular one also has a nice, full-size handle so that you can comfortably use the tool. To use a wheel dresser, first make sure you are wearing goggles and run the grinder at full speed. Slowly move the diamond face of the tool into the surface of the stone and draw it across the grinding edge. The stone will give off a fine stone spray of grit being removed. Just do it for a second. That’s all. You’re done. When you grind with a properly dressed stone, you’ll notice larger, more even sparks flying across the entire width of the stone. No rubbing and better, cooler performance. Made in the USA.